Mounds Bring Wetlands Work To Standstill

May 20, 1986|By Adam Yeomans of The Sentinel Staff

MINNEOLA — The discovery of three mounds that may contain Indian artifacts has prompted county officials to halt the restoration of damaged wetlands at a proposed residential development in south Lake County.

County Pollution Control Director Paulette Alexander ordered a halt to work at Minneola Harbor earlier this month after a local resident told her the property may contain Indian burial mounds.

No Indian artifacts have been found in the area where workers are restoring wetlands damaged by the illegal dredging of a milelong canal last summer, said Robert Davis, a general partner in Minneola Harbor.

''I didn't even know the mounds were in there,'' Davis said Monday. ''If they are worth it to protect, then we'll make a park.''

The three mounds are on about 1 acre near the eastern edge of the Palatlakaha Marsh between County Road 561A and North Cherry Lake Road.

The mounds may be nothing more than spoil from dredging decades ago, Davis said. But he said he agrees with Alexander that the fill work should be halted until it is determined whether the mounds hold Indian artifacts.

Alexander could not be reached for comment Monday.

Restoration of damaged wetlands along the canal is almost completed except for the mound area. The developer agreed to pay a $10,000 fine and restore the damaged wetlands because the canal was dredged last summer without state or county approval.

Davis said the state Bureau of Historic Preservation has been notified about the mounds, but bureau chief George Percy said Monday that he was unaware of the situation.

In such cases, Percy said, the bureau will check a state master list to help determine whether there have been similar finds in south Lake County. He said he probably will not send anyone to inspect the mounds because of the bureau's limited resources. He suggested the developer hire an archeologist from a state university to inspect the mounds.

Robert Manley, senior associate with Canin & Associates, the Orlando firm that serves as Minneola Harbor project manager, said he will wait for the state to respond before deciding whether to hire an archeologist.

Davis said he and Wolfgang Duren, a West German investor, are general partners for Minneola Harbor, a residential community planned on 540 acres overlooking Lake Minneola. The partners completed a buy out last week of Bill Coggin, a former partner in the project, Davis said.

The halt of restoration work does not pose a delay for the project, Davis said. The project already is a year behind schedule because of the controversy stirred by the illegal canal, he said.

The project is being reviewed by Canin & Associates and probably will be changed from its current preliminary site plan, he said. Under the most recent conceptual plan, the project would include 1,208 residential units, a marina and a golf course.